"Passing of Sita Dahal: Nepal Mourns the Loss of Prime Minister's Wife"

Sita Dahal, the wife of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda," passed away on July 12 after a long battle with a rare neurological condition. She was 69 years old. Sita had been ill for quite some time and breathed her last at Norvic International Hospital in Kathmandu. She had been receiving treatment at the hospital, and her death was confirmed by the doctors at 8:33 am, as stated by her press coordinator, Surya Kiran Sharma.

Sita suffered from multiple health conditions, including Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), Parkinson's disease, diabetes, and hypertension. Progressive supranuclear palsy is a rare neurological disorder that affects balance, movement, vision, speech, and swallowing. Her health condition deteriorated on Wednesday, leading to her admission to the hospital.

Prime Minister Prachanda and Sita had three daughters and one son. Unfortunately, their eldest daughter Gyanu Dahal and son Prakash Dahal had already passed away. Sita is survived by her husband Prachanda and two daughters, Renu and Ganga. Renu Dahal currently serves as the Mayor of Bharatpur Metropolitan City.

Sita's final rites will be performed at Aryaghat in the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu in the afternoon. Her daughters, Renu and Ganga Dahal, lit her funeral pyre. The funeral ceremony was attended by several top ministers, Members of Parliament, secretaries, and officials from diplomatic missions.

Tributes poured in from various quarters upon the news of Sita's death. Leaders of political parties and diplomats expressed their condolences to the wife of Prime Minister Prachanda. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief, tweeting, "Extremely saddened to learn about the demise of Mrs. Sita Dahal. I express my sincere condolences to @cmprachanda and pray that the departed soul finds eternal peace. Om Shanti."

Nepal's President Ramchandra Paudel also conveyed his deep sadness and grief to Prime Minister Dahal. President Paudel spoke with Prime Minister Dahal on the phone to express his condolences and offered his prayers for strength to the bereaved family.

KP Sharma Oli, the leader of the main opposition party CPN-UML, visited Norvic Hospital to pay his respects to the family, along with Prime Minister Dahal. Oli tweeted, "I am deeply saddened by the news of the death of Sita Dahal, the life partner of honorable Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Paying heartfelt tributes to the late Sita Dahal, I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved family including Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal."

Sher Bahadur Deuba, the President of Nepali Congress, also paid tribute to Sita and expressed condolences to the Prime Minister. The Rashtriya Swatantra Party issued a statement expressing grief over Sita's demise.

Various diplomatic missions' heads also extended their condolences on Sita's passing. US Ambassador to Nepal, Dean R Thompson, conveyed his deep condolences to the Prime Minister and his family, saying, "Our thoughts are with you and your family at this difficult time."